The Middle Ages live in Mendocino County

Mendocino County is home to a branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an organization dedicated to the research and demonstration of medieval European cultures. Members adopt names and develop a wardrobe around a specific period and location.

The period covered by the SCA is up to about 1600. For perspective, think of it as the period of European history ending with the death of Elizabeth I.

Ravenshore

The SCA is organized into levels roughly similar to Middle Ages fiefdoms, including kingdoms, principalities, baronies and shires.

The local group is known as the Shire of Ravenshore, with the geographic boundaries of Lake and Mendocino counties. Ravenshore hosts some activities on the coast, but many gatherings are in other parts of the region. There will be an major event on the coast in September.

The local contact for the Shire is Adis of Ravenshore, mundanely known as Adie Bazor. Modern reality is referred to as "mundane," to differentiate from SCA activities and identities.

Ravenshore was established in June 1983 as a "household," a very small, but formally recognized level of the SCA. A household was a family unit in Medieval Europe made up of family members, staff and servants.

However, in the SCA, a household more commonly refers to a group of friends who camp together and participate in activities as a unit. Often, a household will be a group of people portraying the same time period and culture, Bazor said.

There are 18 dues-paying members in Ravenshore.

"I have a number of coastal families that are also interested in learning more about us; encouraging family participation and fun and educational activities for kids is a big priority for me," she said.

Bazor said her parents took she and her brothers to historical reenactments when they were growing up. She said the events she remembers the best were the SCA events in An Tir, the kingdom to the north, which encompasses Oregon, Washington and parts of Western Canada.

Mundanely, Bazor is a paraprofessional at Fort Bragg Middle School, working in special education. She is planning to go back to school to earn her degree and become a special education teacher.

The group has learner attire available to newcomers who have not yet established their period costume. Bazor said they are working to develop an arts and sciences sewing group to create more clothing.

Names

Aurelia de Montfort, also known as Fara Otterbeck in the mundane world, the media representative for the Kingdom of the West, explained the use of different names in the SCA.

"Most of us use a period appropriate name to interact with each other, and this is used for privacy by some of our members," de Montfort said. "We have many members who are scientists, doctors, lawyers, professors and other highly educated professionals. SCA is open to everyone, so many students start with us and continue throughout their career."

Fencing

The martial arts, such as fencing, tend to be a significant draw for people, but it requires special instruction under a marshall. Practice, which is at Bainbridge Park in Fort Bragg, runs about two hours.

The fencing marshall for Ravenshore is Justin Dickson, aka Justin Roland in his mundane life. Roland has fenced for 25 years, has been a competitive instructor in different colleges and had his own school in Carson City, Nevada.

When teaching beginners, he focuses on general concepts, but for continuing development as a fencer, he will focus on a historic fencing master to develop a specific technique. He uses a lot of Italian fencing techniques, he said.

Education

The SCA is not only about fighting and armor. It is about recreating old arts and culture.

For example, the shire held an arts and sciences class in Willits on July 9. Members discussed two forms of cheese-making, made samples and had a tasting. The prince and princess for the Principality of the Mists, Kolskegg Shieldbreaker and Katla Van Walraversijde, were there.

Katla, aka Kate Craig, has been a part of the SCA for eight years. Before becoming part of the SCA, she was involved in living history, specializing in the Gold Rush and Civil War eras. She is a teacher at the Willits Charter School.

Craig said she uses SCA artifacts, clothing and tools in her classroom when she teaches medieval history.

For areas of medieval history with which Craig is not as familiar, she draws on her contacts in the SCA who help with lessons.

On Fridays, Willits Charter School teaches electives based on a theme, Craig said. Next year's theme is medieval arts and science, offering classes such as medieval cooking, fashion, dance, trebuchet building and archery.

"This gives students a hands-on opportunity to use academic skills in a fun way and engage across traditional subjects," she said. "Trebuchet building, for example, offers the opportunity to use history, math and science skills as well as reasoning and problem solving and working in a group. All things that employers and colleges are looking for."

Ideals

According to Craig, one of the ideals at the center of the SCA is the chivalric virtue. The most common aspects of chivalric virtue are honor, loyalty, largess, compassion and humility, she said.

One example of the virtue of largess is the society raised almost $10,000 last year for cancer research, she said. One of the fundraisers was a prize tournament where fighters paid $10 to participate and craftsmen donated prizes.

"The skills we learn in the SCA, like fighting, sewing and cooking, are often helpful in the mundane world," Craig said. But she points out that more importantly, the SCA encourages members to continue to learn, imagine and better themselves and their communities.

"If you are looking for a community of supportive, creative people who like to learn and play, the SCA might be for you," she said.

Background

The SCA is a 503(c) educational nonprofit group with about 30,000 members worldwide. There is a small membership fee to cover administration costs and insurance fees. There is more information at www.sca.org. To contact the Shire of Ravenshore, visit www.ravenshore.org.